Regardless, now I was bound to the Deathless Oneforever.
Gideon’s gaze found mine and a silent message passed between us. He clapped, along with the others, but I understood the determination in his eyes.
This wasn’t over.
I wasn’t just a human who had been kidnapped as a token. I was the queen, and I’d use every ounce of that title to rid myself of the fae beside me… I just needed a plan… or an ally.
Kane grabbed my hand, yanking my gaze away from Gideon, a clear warning in his eyes. And in that moment, I wasn’t so sure if aligning with Gideon would be enough to overpower Kane and escape this castle.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Deirdre
There was no kiss.
I don’t know why that was the first thought that entered my head once we left the circle. Didn’t every wedding end in a kiss? Not that I wanted one.
Before I could wonder anymore, a chorus of celebration erupted around us and suddenly we were moving back toward the castle, the pixies—Olivia included—holding the train of my gown.
We’re married.
It really happened.
Tears welled in my eyes.
Not the joyous kind you would expect from a bride, but the utter heartbreak of failure. A shame that not even the warmth of my magic could heal.
Kane walked beside me, the thorny tattoo wrapping around his palms the same as mine.
Do not be afraid, child.
I stopped at the strange male voice that entered my head.
Where had I heard that before?
Looking around, I searched for any sign of who had said it.
To the west.
Glancing toward the western hills, perched on the edge of the cliff, was the black unicorn.
You?
He responded by blinking out of existence. The air shimmered with a hazy glow. The crickets, which had been so loud before, silenced their wings.
I paused, searching, wondering where the majestic beast had gone.
Had I imagined his voice?
The air before me crackled, a hole splitting the world in two. The unicorn stepped out of the strange portal like it had walked between two worlds. Black violets bloomed where it stepped. Its hooves created a dark path toward me.
Gasps rippled through the surrounding fae, some of them cowering behind trees, peeking at the creature from behind the bark.
The black unicorn stepped forward, the tip of its spiraled horn glowing a dark purple.
Is this part of the ceremony?
It is not.
